Safety ski binding

ABSTRACT

AT LEAST ONE BOOT-ENGAGNG PORTION, I.E. A HEEL-AND/OR TOE-ENGAGING PORTION, IS MOUNTABLE ON A SKI FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A PREDETERMINED TORSIONAL FORCE ABOUT AN UPRIGHT AXIS FROM A NORMAL OPERATING POSITION IN WHICH IT CONNECTS THE BOOT WITH THE SKI, TO A LATERALLY DISPLACED RELEASE POSITION IN WHICH IT DISCONNECTS THE BOOT FROM THE SKI. MOUNTING MEANS MOUNTS THE BOOTENGAGING PORTION FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT SHORT OF THE RELEASE POSITION IN RESPONSE TO TORSIONAL FORCES SMALLER THAN THE PREDETERMINED TORSIONAL FORCE.

June 6, 1972 H. WUNDER SAFETY SKI BINDING Filed Jan. 15, 1970 INVENTOR HEM-raw .R wfsm ATTORNEY United States Patent Olfice 3,667,769 SAFETY SKI BINDING Heinrich Wunder, Rothschwaige, near Dachau, Germany, assignor to Heinrich Wunder KG., Rothschwaige, near Dachau, Germany Filed Jan. 15, 1970, Ser. No. 3,035 Claims priority, application Germany, Jan. 16, 1969,

Int. Cl. A63c 9/00 U Cl. 280-1135 T 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to safety ski bindings, and more particularly to improvements in such bindings.

Safety ski bindings operate generally on the principle that laterally acting torsional forces which operate between the ski and the boot trigger release of the safety binding if they exceed a predetermined and frequently adjustable value, so that the ski thus becomes disconnected from the boot. However, it is of course well known that in actual operation there is a constant exertion of laterally acting torsional forces on the connection between the ski and the boot, but forces which are not large enough to trigger release of the safety binding. Under the influence of these forces, the toe or heel boot-engaging portion of the safety binding performs lateral movements of greater or lesser extent in the same manner in which .it would perform such a movement as it pivots to release position, but of course the movements terminate before release position can be reached.

Evidently, each time the engaging portion performs such a movement, which may be considered a partial release movement, it is intended to return to normal position to provide for proper alignment of the boot and ski. Depending upon the extent to which the engaging portion has moved laterally, the return to normal position requires the exertion of more or less force, and the force required is the greater the closer the engaging portion has moved to the point at which the binding will be triggered and then cause the release of ski and boot. It is hardly necessary to emphasize that the forces which act upon the boot as a result of this are quite significant because the boot of course is pressed with considerable force against themgaging portion. Evidently, this is undesirable. A further problem is that on occasion it even occurs that when the engaging portion has moved to such a partial release position, it will not return to its normal position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide a ski binding which is not possessed of the aforementioned disadvantage.

More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a safety ski binding wherein the aforementioned disadvantage is avoided.

In pursuance of the above objects, and others which 3,667,769 Patented June 6, 1972 will become apparent hereafter, the invention resides, briefly stated, in a safety ski binding which cmoprises at least one boot-engaging portion mountable on a ski for pivotal movement under the influence of a predetermined torsional force about an upright axis from a normal operating position in which it connects aboot with the ski, to a laterally displaced release position in which it disconnects the boot from the ski. Mounting means mounts the boot-engaging portion for pivotal movement short of the release position in response to torsional forces smaller than the predetermined torsional force.

First, the movement of the engaging portion from its normal boot-engaging or boot-holding position to release position is subdivided into two independent motions, namely an initial motion and a subsequent or release motion. The initial motions-which of course are frequent as mentioned abovemay take place at substantially unvarying contact pressure between the boot and the engaging portion without any danger of jamming of the motion of the engaging portion which could prevent or retard the return of the engaging portion to its normal position.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. l is a top-plan view' in fragmentary illustration, showing a ski with the novel binding mounted thereon;

FIG. 2 is a section on line II-II of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating a further embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Discussion now the drawing in detail, and firstly the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, it will be seen that reference numeral 1 identifies a fragmentarily illus trated ski which may be of any type whatsoever. Mounted on the ski overlying a portion of its upper surface is a support plate 6 which is well known in conjunction with the ski bindings. This is shown in FIG. 2.

According 'to the present invention, I mount on the support plate -6 a pivotable plate 3 which is pivotable about the'u pri ght axis defined by a pin or analogous means 4. Thus, the plate 3 can pivot to either of the two lateral sides of the ski 1, as suggested by the arrows in FIGS. 1 and 2. The plate 3 has securely mounted thereon the boot-engaging portion 2 which is similarly pivotable in lateral direction about the upright axis 14. It should be noted that the boot-engaging portion 2 may be a heel-engaging-portion or a toe-engaging portion. It should be further noted that the axis defined by the pin or analogousmeans 4 is spaced from the portion 2 and that the farther this spacing is, the closer will be the approximation of the turning radius of the plate 3 to the turning radius of the boot sole about that end of the sole about which the boot turns. In other words, the illustrated engaging portion 2 is shown for instance as a toe-engaging portion and the pin defining the axis 4 is offset from the portion 2 in direction towards the heel of the boot, with any lateral movement of the boot sole occurring with respect to a turning axis which must be thought to extend in upright direction through the heel of the boot.

: As illustrated, the plate 3 is maintained in its normal centered or rest position by elastically yieldable means. This is shown in the drawing in form of a spring 5, but

the spring may be replaced. by a member ofelastomeric material, or by analogous means. A stationary cover portion 11 is provided which is formed with a cut-out 9 extending transversely of the elongation of the ski 1, and the opposite ends of .the spring or the analogous means abut against the opposite ends of the cut-out '9. A similar cut-out is provided in the plate 3, as evident from FIG. 2.

Screws 8 secure the cover portion 11 to the ski and are provided with sleeves 12 which surround a portion of the respective screw 8 and which serve as abutments in the elongated slots'7 provided in the plate 3. Atthe upper left-hand corner of FIG. 1 the cover portion 11 is broken away to show one of these slots 7 intop-plan view. Thus, the maximum lateral pivotal movement of the plate 3 is determined by the distance between that end of the. respective slot which will abut against the screws when the plate performs a lateral movement, and the screws themselves.

Whenever the plate 3 performs such a lateral movement it will be elastically contacted by the spring 5 and the movement will terminate when the aforementioned abutment between the ends of the slots 7 and the respective screws -8or rather their sleeves 12occurs. Subsequently, the spring 5 will assist return of the plate and thereby the boot-engaging portion 2 to the normal or centered position. A releaseof the safety ski binding will occur only if the force efiecting such lateral movement is so great as to trigger the binding subsequentto the occurrence of the abutment between the sleeves 12 and the ends of the slots 7. Details concerning the actual mechanism of the safety ski binding have been omitted because they are well known and because the mechanism of the binding itself does not form a part of the present invention. Rather, the invention is concerned only with so mounting the boot-engaging portion that it can readily perform lateral movements smaller than those required for triggering the actual release mechanism of the binding, and will be assisted in returning from such lateral movements to its centered or normal position.

According to the embodiment diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 3 it is possible to provide an adjustment for the force with which the spring 5 or analogous means resists lateral movement of the plate 3-. As shown in FIG. 5, the spring or analogous means is composed of two discrete sections 5a each of which carries a contact plate 13. The plates 13 are connected by threading into tapped bores provided in them the opposite end portions of an adjusting spindle 10, with one of these end portions being provided with a right-hand thread and the other with a lefthand thread. The spindle 10 may be provided with a knurled wheel or other means for eifecting turning movement, for instance with abore into which a tool such as a screw driver, pin or the like may be inserted to elfect turning of the spindle 10 about its own axis and thereby urge the sections 5a away from one another, or release. such urging. Evidently, this results in precompression of the sections 5a or a release of such precompression, depending upon the direction in which the spindle 10 is turned, and thus adjusts the force with which the sections 50 will resist movement of the plate 3.

It is emphasized that the support plate 6 may be omitted, for instance if the upper surface portion of the ski 1 is sufiiciently smooth and hard to make it possible to mount the plate 3 directly on it. Furthermore, other modifications are of course readily evident to those skilled in the art, such as the fact that the invention may be utilized simultaneously on heel-engaging and toe en: gaging portions, that the axis 4 may be located at a point difierent from that which has been illustrated, and that the spring 5 or analogous means may be positioned elsewhere than shown. For instance, the spring 5 or analogous vention.

spring which may cooperate with a bearing defining the upright axis 4.

Details concerning the actual mechanism of this release binding, a cover for the spring 5, or the like, have been omitted for the sake of clarity and because they do not form a part of the invention.

It will be understood that each of the elements. described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from thetypes described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a safety ski binding, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. j

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this in- What is claimed as new and desired to be protected Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims:

'1. In a safety ski binding, in combination, at least one boot engaging portion mountable on a ski for pivotal movement under the influence of a predetermined torsional force about a first upright axis from a normal operating position in which it connects a boot with the ski to a laterally displaced release position in which it disconnects the boot from theski; and mounting means mounting said boot engaging portion for pivotal movement short of said release position in response to torsional forces smaller than said predetermined torsional force, said mounting means comprising a plate member pivotable relative to the ski about a second upright axis to and from a normal rest position, said plate member being located beneath said boot engaging portion and carrying the same for movement about said upright first axis and having a portion adapted to extend underneath and support the boot, and elastic means interposed between the ski and said plate member to directly engage and permanently bias said plate member to said rest position Without influencing the angular position of said boot engaging portion relative to said plate member.

2. In a safety ski binding as defined in claim '1, said elastic means comprising a helical spring.

3. In a safety ski binding as defined in claim 1, said plate member being arranged to normally overlie an upper surface of the ski in rest position and being laterally pivotable about said upright second axis to a later ally displaced position, said axes being spaced lengthwise of the ski from one another. i

4. In a safety ski binding as defined in claim 3, further comprising a support plate mountable on an upper surface of the ski, and supporting said plate member.

' operating position in which it connects a boot with the means may be located below the portion 2. Also, it is possible to replace the spring 5 by other means, asalready pointed out, and one of these is for instance a torsion ski to'a laterally displaced release position in which it disconnects the boot from the ski; and mounting means mounting said boot engaging portion for pivotal movement short of said release position in response to torsional forces smaller than said predetermined torsional force, said mounting means comprising a plate memberpivotablerelative to the ski about a second upright axis to and from a normal rest position, said plate member being located beneath said boot engaging portion and carrying the same for pivotal movement about said first upright axis and having a portion adapted to extend underneath and support the boot, and elastic means extending transversely to the elongation of the ski and elastically urging said plate member to said rest position thereof counter to the action of said torsional forces, said elastic means bearing upon said stationary element and said plate member so as to be elastically compressed in response to pivotal movement of the latter relative to the ski whereby said plate member is permanently biased to said rest position without influencing the angular position of said boot engaging portion relative to said plate member.

6. In a safety ski binding as defined in claim 5; further comprising adjusting means for adjusting the resistance to compression offered by said elastic means.

7. In a safety ski binding as defined in claim 6, said elastic means comprising an elastic member having two discrete sections spaced from one another in the direction in which said torsional forces act upon said elastic member; and said adjusting means comprising a screw spindle having opposite end portions which are respectively provided with right-hand and left-hand threads References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,145,027 8/1964 Berchtold 28011.35 C 3,406,981 10/1968 Scheib 280-1135 T 3,430,971 3/1969 Berlenbach 28011.35 T 3,455,570 7/1969 Salomon 28011.35 T

BENJAMIN HERSH, Primary Examiner R. R. SONG, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 280-1135 C 

